Participating

A "participating" committee refers to a technical committee in which Canada participates actively, and in which Canada has an obligation to vote on all submitted questions.

Observing

When a committee has "observing" status, it means that Canada follows the work of the committee as an observer and cannot make any comments about the development process or vote on any of the submitted questions.

Standby

Committees that are in "standby" status have no work item in progress, nor foreseen for the future, but are required to continually review the standards for which they are responsible. 

Identify which position you are applying for and provide specific examples of how your background meets the position’s education, experience and language requirements.

When you apply on-line for a position, you will receive an automatic confirmation. Your application will remain on file in our database and will be considered for the specific position for which you have applied. If, in the future, your profile matches the requirements of a different posting, you may be notified of the match and will be invited to apply for the position.

No, all applicants must be legally entitled to work in Canada (visit http://www.cic.gc.ca for more information)

SCC revised the standards development program requirements to ensure greater clarity, consistency and responsiveness to the needs of Canadian stakeholders. All SCC-accredited SDOs have met the same requirements in order to receive SCC accreditation. The existing SDOs, through the Standards Development Organizations Advisory Committee (SDOAC), were consulted throughout the development of the 2017 Requirements & Guidance documents.

Key updates to the requirements include changes to the duplication resolution process and the implementation of a self-declaration framework. The improvements to the Duplication Resolution Mechanism (DRM) were made with the goal of reaching a timely outcome and a decision that is responsive to Canadian stakeholder needs. These changes include a more proactive role for SCC to facilitate discussions between SDOs, the introduction of specific evaluation criteria, a clearer complaint and appeal process, and a compliance and verification process with Action Plan (issued following SCC decision on duplication).

The self-declaration framework was introduced to allow SCC-accredited SDOs in good standing to self-declare compliance with SCC’s Requirements & Guidance documents for the publication of their standards as NSCs. The proposed self-declaration framework is based on a careful review of existing process controls, which highlighted opportunities for improvement. These improvements make the process simpler, more efficient and reduce administrative burden, while still maintaining the high-trusted value of National Standards of Canada. For a list of SDOs that have been granted self-declaration status, please visit our directory of accredited SDOs.

SCC has an obligation to review applications from organizations wishing to become accredited under its various programs, and to approve applications when organizations are deemed to meet program accreditation requirements. The addition of new SDOs offers more options and greater flexibility within Canada’s standardization network. The accreditation of US-based standards development organizations helps provide more standardization solutions to better serve stakeholders such as Canadian government, industry and consumers. This further protects the health and safety of Canadians while enhancing Canada’s economic competitiveness.

In a number of industry sectors, Canadian experts already participate directly in standards development activities of these US-based organizations, and having access to these experts for the development of National Standards of Canada is an important element of SCC accreditation. Expanding SDO accreditation also promotes harmonization of standards between Canada and the US, broadening opportunities for trade between the two countries while also presenting solutions to bilateral regulatory issues.

When the expansion of SDOs was first proposed, SCC undertook a year-long consultation process with government, industry and the four Canadian SDOs at the time (CSA Group, Bureau de normalisation du Québec, Canadian General Standards Board and Underwriters Laboratories of Canada). This was instrumental in understanding various perspectives surrounding the issues, opportunities and challenges of expanding the number of SCC-accredited SDOs.

A list of those technical committees of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) where Canada participates is available from the ISO website.

Canada's committee participation in the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) can likewise be found online by visiting the IEC website.

SCC coordinates Canada's participation in international committee work through its Member Program.

You will receive an automatic confirmation after submitting your application online. Your application will remain on file and will be considered for the specific position for which you have applied.

SCC is a Crown corporation of the Government of Canada, and part of the Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) portfolio. Its mandate, as described in the Standards Council of Canada Act, is to:

• promote the participation of Canadians in voluntary standards activities;
• promote public-private sector cooperation in relation to voluntary standardization in Canada;
• coordinate and oversee the efforts of the persons and organizations involved in the national standardization network;
• foster quality, performance and technological innovation in Canadian goods and services through standards-related activities, and
• develop standards-related strategies and long-term objectives,

In order to advance the national economy, support sustainable development, benefit the health, safety and welfare of workers and the public, assist and protect consumers, facilitate domestic and international trade and further international cooperation in relation to standardization.

SCC reports to Parliament through the Minister of ISED. Oversight is provided by the Governing Council which approves the strategic direction of the organization. SCC’s Governing Council is appointed by the federal government, and reports to Parliament through the Minister of ISED. It is composed of up to 13 members who represent a broad spectrum of stakeholder interests. Members review, approve and advise SCC on its strategic direction.

However, SCC does not have regulatory authority in its mandate. Any mandatory standards or specifications and related conformity assessment requirements should be reviewed with the proper federal, provincial or territorial regulatory authority.

SCC operates numerous programs and services to promote efficient and effective standardization. SCC does not develop standards or verify the conformity of products or services to standards but rather accredits the organizations that do. SCC also approves National Standards of Canada, represents Canada in international standards forums, and serves as Canada's key source for standardization information

For more information, visit the About the Standards Council of Canada page or view the Introduction to Standards and SCC orientation module.

Valid

An ORD with a status of Valid has been recognized by a Canadian regulatory authority body and has been provided to SCC for inclusion in the ORD database.

Expired

An ORD with a status of Expired has exceeded its five-year validity period. All certifications issued to this document while it was valid are still acceptable. No new certifications to this document shall be granted.

Withdrawn

An ORD with a status of Withdrawn has been rescinded by its authoring organization. No new certifications to this document shall be granted.

A standard may be withdrawn if it:

• is not technically up-to-date
• does not reflect current practice or research
• is not suitable for new and existing applications (products, systems or processes)
• is not compatible with current views and expectations regarding quality, safety and the environment

This status is also used if:

• the standard is withdrawn and not replaced by the author for any of the reasons mentioned above
• there has been a change in the standard designation (e.g. if CSA A1234-2000 is superseded by CSA B5678-2005)

Superseded

An ORD with a status of Superseded has been replaced by another document. No new certifications to this document shall be granted.

Notes:

An ORD with a status of Valid will automatically change to Expired once the expiry date has passed.

When an ORD status indicates Superseded, you will find the details on the new document in the “Superseded By” field.

Standardization is the development and application of standards. It includes:

• the work of the committees that develop standards
• the publication of standards by standards development organizations
• the recognition of standards by national standards bodies such as SCC
• the application of standards by businesses, suppliers and customers
• the verification that products or services conform to applicable standards (conformity assessment)
• the accreditation of organizations that provide conformity assessment services
• the use of standards and conformity assessment as an element in public policy as well as in international trade

For more information, visit SCC’s orientation module Introduction to Standards and the Standards Council of Canada.

All Standards Development Organizations (SDOs) adhere to the same SCC standards development, or adoption, requirements. As part of these requirements, SDOs must include technical experts and stakeholders who will be affected by the standard in their technical committees when developing standards. As a result, any SDO can develop a standard in any area.

SCC accredited SDOs are expected to coordinate their work to avoid duplication within the Canadian standards development environment and to promote opportunities for harmonization wherever possible. 

The accreditation requirements outlined in Requirements & Guidance – Accreditation of Standards Development Organizations directly address possible duplication of standards in the system (consult Section 4, Requirement 4.3, Avoiding Duplication), and were clarified and strengthened by including statements such as:

“The SDO accreditation requirements are in line with accepted international standards best practices derived from the World Trade Organization, Technical Barriers to Trade (WTO/TBT), Annex 3 provisions, ISO/IEC Guide 59 Code of good practice for standardization, and the following Canadian principles: consensus; equal access and effective participation by concerned interests; respect for diverse interests and identification of those who should be afforded access to provide the needed balance of interests; mechanism for dispute resolution; openness and transparency; open access by interested parties to the procedures guiding the standards development process; clarity with respect to the processes; Canadian interest consideration as the basis for the development of standards by SDOs; and avoiding duplication of standards or overlap with the work of other SDOs or with the work of relevant international or regional SDOs.” (Page 4)

SCC’s role is to support the standardization priorities of government and industry in Canada. As such, we welcome comments and suggestions by industry on approaches to avoid duplication of efforts and on our role in managing subject area recognition. Visit our Contact Us page to provide comments.

Canada’s national standardization network is the network of people and organizations involved in voluntary standards development, promotion and implementation in Canada.

There are hundreds of organizations accredited by SCC to look after the day-to-day work of standards development, certification of persons, calibration and proficiency testing, management systems registration, and auditor training and certification.

Other government and non-governmental bodies also take part in the national standardization network. Some of these participate in accreditation programs as SCC partners. Others work on standards-related issues such as international trade agreements.

Almost 15,000 volunteers from industry, government, non-governmental organizations and the general public are involved in developing standards. Volunteers also provide their expertise to accreditation programs and advisory committees. Even the members of SCC’s Governing Council are volunteers. The employers who support the work of these volunteers are important contributors to the national standardization network.

SCC is an accreditation body. It accredits certification bodies that can certify your organization to ISO 9001, for example. All SCC-accredited certification bodies are listed on SCC’s Directory of Accredited Certification Bodies as well as testing and calibration laboratories (including those recognized under the OECD Good Laboratory Practices).

To find a product, process or service certification body with specific capabilities, please search our directory with a product category, the International Classification for Standards (ICS) code or standard.

An organization can self-proclaim certification or compliance to any standard.

While "self-certifying" or "self-declaring" compliance to a standard doesn't carry the same weight as third-party certification (e.g. SCC or CSA), organizations that do this are not actually doing anything wrong or illegal.

However, if you are concerned that a business is falsely claiming third-party certification, it is up to you to do your due diligence and verify the certification. For instance, if the organization says it is UL certified for ISO 9001, then UL would be able to verify that this is accurate.

To report such a situation, notify the owner of the logo or certification body. The certifying organization would then be responsible for ensuring the validity of the claim and for any next steps should the company be falsely claiming certification.

Consumer Product Safety information is provided by Health Canada,  if you are concerned about the safety of a consumer product or are thinking of importing consumer goods into Canada.

As Health Canada regulates areas such as consumer product safety, drug and medical devices, natural health products, cosmetics and other areas, you may also wish to review the related guidelines for each topic on the Health Canada website.

This program specialty area (PSA) applies to the accreditation of laboratories conducting tests and measurements on threaded fasteners and providing services that support fastener production, such as plating, producers of material destined for fastener manufacture, and commercial laboratories offering testing services. Testing conducted in the fasteners PSA is divided into five major areas:

• Chemical analysis
• Mechanical and physical testing and inspection
• Non-destructive inspection
• Dimensional inspection
• Metallography

Accreditation is the formal verification of an organization's competence to carry out a specific function. SCC is Canada’s national accreditation body.  Accreditation is an independent verification that an organization has the required competency to certify others. For example, a testing laboratory that issues certificates of compliance may be accredited by SCC. Please see our video orientation module on Accreditation for more information.

Certification is the procedure by which a third party gives written assurance that a product, process, system or person conforms to specified requirements. For example, a certification body that certifies businesses to ISO 9001 may also be accredited by SCC.

The Canadian national authorities responsible for food safety are the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Health Canada.

The Standards Council of Canada (SCC) offers accreditation to laboratories that undertake forensic testing. One of the key activities forensic laboratories undertake is the testing of physical evidence often at a crime scene or the scene of an accident. In addition to testing the evidence and issuing reports, forensic scientists frequently provide testimony on the test results for judicial applications. To ensure that this evidence stands up to scrutiny in court, it is imperative that the testing methods used by the laboratory have proven and documented credibility. Accreditation provides assurance that a forensic laboratory has adhered to recognized practices and standards. Forensic accreditation is one of 10 SCC Accreditation Program Specialty Areas. SCC offers accreditation in the following forensic disciplines:

• Biology/DNA analysis
• Chemistry/Trace analysis
• Counterfeits
• Drug chemistry
• Equine drug testing
• Explosives
• Firearms and tool marks
• Questioned documents examination
• Toxicology

A regulator enforces standards, codes or regulations and has legal power and governance over the regulation. An accreditation body has no such mandate or power. Accreditation is done on a voluntary basis, but accreditation can be mandated by regulators.

Energy-consuming products are regulated under Canadian Energy Efficiency Regulations, overseen by Natural Resources Canada (NRCan). To consult the legislation to verify whether this regulation covers your product, visit NRCan’s Guide to Canada's Energy Efficiency Regulations web page.

The Standards Council of Canada (SCC), in partnership with the Communications Security Establishment (link is external) (CSE), offers accreditation for information technology (IT) security evaluation and testing laboratories. The CSE is a federal government agency that delivers information technology security solutions to the Canadian government. SCC provides formal recognition of competence of laboratories that perform testing in the following areas:

• Biometric device testing
• Common criteria product and system evaluations
• ITS product reviews
• Secure electronic commerce application evaluations
• Specialized commercial security device testing
• Vulnerability and tiger team testing

An organization considering accreditation should plan enough time to study applicable requirements (standards), ensure its quality management system is fully operational and that staff has been appropriately trained.

Visit our section on applying for SCC accreditation for more details.

In principle, the vast majority of Canadian and international standards are voluntary.

In practice, the demands of the marketplace make many standards mandatory. A bolt manufacturer whose products do not fit a standard nut, for example, will probably not have many customers.

Buyers who want to assess whether their suppliers provide goods that conform to standards have a number of options. They may take supplier’s word for it. They may check the products themselves. They may also insist that the supplier ask an independent third party to verify the products conformity. These third parties often indicate conformity by putting their own label, or mark, on the product.

Government regulators make a standard mandatory by referring to it in legislation. Provincial and territorial electrical codes, for example, require electrical products to conform to Canadian electrical safety standards. Under these regulations, products cannot be sold unless they have been tested and certified by a recognized conformity assessment body.

One way of recognizing conformity assessment bodies is through accreditation. SCC is Canada’s national accreditation body for organizations that provide standards-related conformity assessment services.

For more information visit SCC’s orientation module, Accreditation: Where Standards, quality and conformity meet about the value and importance of accreditation. SCC also has a searchable directory of accredited certification bodies. 

SCC does not develop standards or verify the conformity of products or services to standards but rather accredits the organizations that do. To find a certification body, visit the appropriate accreditation program on our website. 

The Standards Council of Canada (SCC) offers accreditation to laboratories that perform the analysis of all media used in mining exploration and processing. SCC provides formal recognition of competence of laboratories conducting mineral and mineral assay analysis in support of the mining and mining exploration industries. In order to add even greater value to its accreditation program, SCC accredits both single-element and multiple-element test methods for a wide variety of metals. SCC offers accreditation in the following mineral analysis disciplines:

• sediments
• rocks
• ores
• metal products
• tailings
• water
• vegetation

SCC provides formal recognition of competence for laboratories calibrating measuring instruments and reference standards for areas of metrology, including:

• Acoustics and vibration
• Dimensional
• Electrical
• Frequency and time
• Ionizing radiation
• Mechanical
• Photometric and radiometric
• Temperature
• Other

For more information For more information, please contact SCC Accreditation Services at accreditation@scc.ca. Laboratories seeking accreditation under this program should apply directly to NRC/CLAS.

NRC/CLAS contact

Christine de Groot, P.Eng.
Leader, Assessment Services, NRC Metrology
christine.degroot@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca, 1-613-998-6813

Electrical safety falls under the responsibility of provincial and territorial authorities. Provincially recognized certification marks confirm compliance of products that have an electrical component to the Canadian Electrical Code (CEC) CAN/CSA C22.1 published by the CSA Group.

Certification marks are issued by SCC-accredited product certification bodies. Any certification mark originating from an SCC-accredited US-based certification body needs a small "c" in front of the mark to indicate to the user, inspector and retailer that, even though the mark is from the United States, the assessment of the product has complied with the CEC. To obtain the listing of provincial and territorial recognized electrical safety certification marks, contact your provincial or territorial electrical safety authority, which can be found on the Code Authorities in Canada web page on the UL website.

Under Canada's constitution, provinces and territories regulate the design and construction of new houses and buildings, and the maintenance and operation of fire safety systems in existing buildings. While the national model building, fire and plumbing codes are prepared centrally under the direction of the Canadian Commission on Building and Fire Codes, adoption and enforcement of the codes is the responsibility of the provincial and territorial authorities. For more information on the adoption and enforcement of national model codes, visit the Canadian Codes Centre website.

To search for code-related federal and provincial legislation, visit the Canadian Legal Information Institute website.

For Canadian code-related questions, we invite you to contact the relevant provincial code authorities, which can be found on the UL website under Code Authorities in Canada.

In Canada, information on importing and exporting can be obtained from the Canada Border Services Agency.

Information on requirements that apply to imported products (such as whether they need to be certified as meeting particular standards) can be obtained from government organizations that administer these requirements. To search for the relevant mandatory requirements that apply to your product, refer to the database on the Canadian Legal Information website.

As Canada’s standardization leader, SCC provides accreditation programs for laboratories, inspection bodies, product and personnel certifiers, and management systems certification bodies. Our accredited bodies will provide testing and certification services for organizations operating in a wide variety of industry sectors.

However, SCC does not have regulatory authority in its mandate. Any mandatory standards or specifications and related conformity assessment requirements need to be reviewed with the proper federal, provincial or territorial regulatory authority.

For technical questions on code requirements, we suggest contacting the Canadian provincial or territorial enforcing regulatory body or bodies, which can be found on the Code Authorities in Canada web page on the UL website.

The Standards Council of Canada’s (SCC’s) Energy Management Systems Accreditation Program assesses the competence of bodies that intend to certify organizations in their implementation of the international standard, ISO 50001 – Energy Management Systems.

By establishing energy management systems and processes in accordance with ISO 50001, organizations can improve their overall energy performance, including energy efficiency, use and consumption. These improvements can lead to significant energy cost savings, as well as reduce an organization’s greenhouse gas emissions (carbon footprint), and other adverse environmental impacts.

SCC’s Energy Management Systems Accreditation Program accredits certification bodies that certify energy management systems in the following sectors:

•          Commercial buildings

•          Light and medium industry

•          Heavy industrial

•          Transportation

•          Building complex energy use

•          Energy providers

Food Safety management systems provide a framework for effectively managing the safety of food supply chain, from “farm to fork.” The international standard for food safety management brings together generally recognized food safety practices and is suitable for any organization along the entire food chain, including related organizations such as manufacturers and producers of food equipment, packaging material, cleaning agents, additives and ingredients.

Recognized as an accreditation body by the Foundation for Food Safety Certification under the Food Safety System Certification 22000 scheme, SCC is able to offer accreditation to certification bodies that are interested in auditing and certifying food safety systems of food manufacturers.

The FSSC 22000 scheme, which is based on the certification requirements of ISO 22000 and BSI-PSA 220, is formally recognized by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI).

The Standards Council of Canada (SCC) accredits certification bodies that assess and certify food safety management systems to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standard ISO 22000 Food Safety Management.

Occupational health and safety management systems provide a framework for managing an organization’s occupational health and safety responsibilities, which enable organizations to:

• Improve health and safety performance
• Reduce or prevent injuries, illnesses and fatalities

The Standards Council of Canada (SCC) accredits certification bodies that assess and certify occupational health and safety management systems to the international standard ISO 45001 - Occupational Health and Safety, as well as OHSAS 18001 Health and Safety Standard.

This accreditation program provides formal recognition of competence of laboratories providing testing services that include, but are not limited to:

• Allergens analysis
• Organic and inorganic chemistry analysis
• Plant protection: bacterial, fungal, viral, viroid, and nematode, presence of disease and seeds analysis
• Qualitative and quantitative microbiological analysis
• Veterinary analysis for animal health testing   

SCC provides formal recognition of competence for laboratories calibrating measuring instruments and reference standards for areas of metrology, including:

• Acoustics and vibration
• Dimensional
• Electrical
• Frequency and time
• Ionizing radiation
• Mechanical
• Photometric and radiometric
• Temperature
• Other

The Standards Council of Canada’s (SCC) Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program provides formal recognition of competence for laboratories carrying out environmental tests, and enables laboratories to better meet their obligations to regulators.

Approximately 120 parameters can be accredited within the following environmental fields of testing:

• Inorganics - water and soil
• Microbiology - water
• Occupational health - air filters
• Organics - water and soil
• PCB - oil
• Toxicology - water
• Other

SCC also offers accreditation to laboratories conducting drinking water testing under the Ontario Safe Drinking Water Act. Under the terms of its agreement with the Ontario provincial government, SCC assesses the ability of laboratories to perform drinking water tests, and is solely responsible for approval of their accreditation.